An Evening Out

It sounds terrible I know: it seems to me that having a child with disabilities that are physically evident, as opposed to a 'typical looking' child whose disabilities are not so obvious, is somehow easier to manage in public. Being out in the world with children who struggle to interact in socially acceptable ways is a challenge at best.

This evening we - all of us - attended Eli's orchestra concert. Since it was a packed house, we had to split and sit in two different rows, so I was seated with Sierra and Samara on either side of me and then Fred beside Samara. Thankfully Stan and the other boys were sitting directly in front of us.

As we were waiting for Stan to find us in the auditorium after he parked the car, my occupation was helping Sierra (whose ADHD medication had worn off hours before) to find a comfortable way to sit still and remind and direct her to speak quietly (since there was no way she'd be able to stop talking altogether) and dealing with Samara's near meltdown after I asked her to keep her feet off the seat in front of her.

I'm sure the ladies behind us were at least amused, and at most annoyed, with our pre-concert-show. Admittedly, I was a bit too embarrassed to even make eye contact with them. Little did they know they were about to be nearly assaulted as Fred spotted Stan walk into the crowded auditorium; he threw his arm up and backward (toward those sweet ladies) turned and yelled "DADDY!" right into the face of the woman behind him. Quite a shocker when one would expect a fifteen year old (who looks at least twelve) to prefer his father to NOT sit with him!

About half-way through the concert, it became apparent that the seating arrangement needing tweeking since Fred continuously tapped and clapped very loudly to every song and Samara grew more and more agitated with his behavior. Sierra did surprisingly well and seemed entertained by the music until she discovered that her tights required adjustments and the placement of her coat on her seat became problematic.

I am very proud of my kids and of all that they've accomplished - down to being able to attend a school concert - especially with these non-visible disabilities. I know that we are not the picture of a normal family: there are eight of us and we don't match. But other than that we look normal... and that's sometimes a frustration since my kids don't show their differences on the outside.